How I Craft Visual Language that Connects with Therapy Clients
I’m not a therapist. But I am a brand designer for therapists! So I understand how powerful creating a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for your clients is. In an environment like this, your clients can feel heard, understood, and empowered to grow.
But, how do we communicate this message, this feeling, to potential clients before they even step into your office for the first time?
This is where therapist branding comes in – and visual language plays a HUGE role. Your visual brand, that is, your logo, color scheme, chosen images, and website design, speaks volumes about who you are as a therapist. It sends these nonverbal messages that instantly shape a potential client’s perception of your practice.
A strong therapist brand uses visual language to tap into emotions. Think about it: the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than it reads text. That means that the visual elements you choose have the power to attract and repel potential clients in those crucial first few seconds they spend on your website.
So, how do I craft visual language that instantly connects my therapists and their clients? Simple: I do my research.
Why Does Visual Language Matter in Therapist Branding?
But first thing’s first: who cares, right? After all, I’m sure you have direct competitors who have generic-looking black-and-white logos on a page full of free stock images and they’re so fully booked they’re referring clients out to you occasionally.
The reason for this is because that competitor is casting a wide net. They don’t care so much about whether or not each individual client is a good fit for each therapist at their practice. Instead, they get clients by being accessible; they probably take all major insurance policies, have in-house billing to handle claims and refunds smoothly, and have a variety of therapists who work with all kinds of clients.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But if you’re reading this, it’s probably not a you-thing either.
See, the benefit of having branding that connects with your target demographic is that, well, you’ll connect with your target demographic. That is, your clients will be a great fit for you, and they’ll stick around longer because they knew what they were signing up for as soon as they clicked into your website. That’s the goal, anyway.
So don’t knock visual language until you try it!
Finding Your Target Demographic
The first step to crafting your visual language is finding your target demographic. That may or may not be incredibly difficult for you, depending on how much thought you’ve already put into it. If you’re struggling with crafting a target client, here’s a free downloadable worksheet that includes all the demographics you’ll want to come up with before moving forward with design.
We do this because ultimately, we’ll need to know what kinds of things speak to our target audience. But, we can’t do that unless we know who your target audience is first. After all, how can we get inside their head if you don’t even know their name?
So hopefully you have your target client in mind.
Researching Your Visual Language
The next step I take involves a ton of research. I would recommend setting up a Word of Google Doc to just paste all your information in.
We’re going to follow these steps:
Research similar companies. Any competitors you know of, plus ones you might have missed. Search (your specialty) therapist in (your zip code) on Google. Also look for therapists that rank highly in your area on PsychologyToday and other aggregate websites. You’re going to want to visit each therapist’s website and check out how they use design to convey information. What vibes do they give off? Are they appealing to your target client?
Also check their messaging. That is, the words they choose to use in their website copy. What’s their messaging like? Friendly? Casual? Formal? Humorous? Why did they choose that tone in particular? Is there an opportunity to disrupt the norm?
Find trends. Pay a visit to our old friend, Google Scholar, and type in “Trends for (your demographic)”. Check articles that were published recently, and preferably ones that use a larger sample size. Include any relevant info you find about your demographic, including causes they might support, beliefs they tend to hold, and why.
Check regular Google, too. Check out trend reports, popular articles, and social media trends among your target demographic. You’re trying to get into their heads and see what kinds of colors, textures, and photos are popular among them. If you notice any therapy-adjacent trends, (for example, “my therapist should be XYZ,” might pop up for you a few times,) look up something like “The role of XYZ for (your demographic)” to find out why that is or where it comes from.
And now you’re ready to get designing!
Examples of Therapy Branding
Before we get into designing, let’s dig into a few things regarding color psychology, fonts, and imagery.
Color Psychology
Blue: Associated with trust, calmness, and professionalism.
Green: Often connected to growth, healing, and nature.
Warm Earthy Tones: Convey feelings of warmth, comfort, and approachability.
Choose colors that align with your therapeutic approach and the emotions you want to evoke.
Fonts
Serif Fonts: Often seen as traditional, reliable, and formal.
Sans-Serif Fonts: Convey modernity, cleanliness, and approachability.
Script Fonts: Use sparingly, as they can be harder to read. Consider using them for accents or in your logo.
The font style should reflect the tone and personality of your therapy brand.
Imagery
Authentic Images: Use real photos that capture the essence of your practice. Stock photos can feel generic.
Nature Imagery: Natural elements like plants, landscapes, or bodies of water can be calming and grounding.
Abstract Art: Experiment with abstract shapes and patterns to add a touch of creativity and individuality.
Hopefully that gives you a few ideas when it comes to the direction you want to take your new visual identity.
Bringing It All Together
When you’re able to bring together color psychology, typography, imagery, and logo design in a way that genuinely reflects who you are and speaks to your target client, you’ll find that you obtain longer-lasting, higher-value clients than you would with a more generic branding package.
Having a cohesive, unique brand builds trust, creates memories, and helps clients feel seen and understood. They’ll come to you more prepared to open up, and they’ll leave feeling healed, because they understand you and your methods are the right fit for them and their problems.
If you’re still feeling completely overwhelmed by all of this, don’t worry. Brand design is my bread and butter, and I’m happy to chat any time about helping you create a brand that really feels in line with who you are. Reach out with any questions and I’ll get back to you ASAP!